At this point, you almost, *almost*, feel sorry for whichever Tory minister gets sent to do the media rounds when Victoria Derbyshire is on-air. On Wednesday night, Robert Jenrick was in the firing line – and he came off second-best.
Victoria Derbyshire vs Robert Jenrick made for blockbuster viewing
The Immigration Minister went out to defend the government’s disastrous plan to send asylum seekers entering the UK to Rwanda. Despite the policy being slapped down by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to change the law to force it through.
Jenrick started his interview by claiming that the Tories had actually WON on the most important question, stating that they’d only lost on previous occasions to ‘split decisions’. However, he was called out by the host for deploying ‘incredible spin’…
Watch: Victoria Derbyshire puts Tory minister on the spot
Victoria Derbyshire has won-over many BBC viewers in recent months. Her dogged style pushes politicians much further out of their comfort zone. Her programmes are no safe-haven for ministers, or shadow cabinet members, looking for a softball discussion.
Robert Jenrick also revealed that the proposal to amend the law in order to facilitate the Rwanda plan has been ‘months in the making’. Derbyshire, however, noted that this would contradict Suella Braverman’s statement, which accused Sunak and his team of ‘having no plan B’.
With no wiggle room, Jenrick’s response made for uncomfortable viewing:
Robert Jenrick reserves praise for Suella Braverman
On the same evening, Jenrick praised his former boss Suella Braverman as a “good” Home Secretary, days after she was dramatically fired by Rishi Sunak. Speaking to ITV’s Peston programme, he said:
“Suella and I occasionally had stylistic differences, but we were always united on the policy and our determination to stop the boats. She was a good Home Secretary, extremely hard working, passionate, and she spoke for millions of people across the country.” | Robert Jenrick